A popular comic strip has been canned by 77 newspapers after its creator Scott Adams started incorporating anti-woke plotlines, including a character black that identifies as white.
Adams’ much-loved ‘Dilbert’ comics have been in circulation since 1989 and frequently poke fun at office culture, but he announced he was sensationally dropped by publisher Lee Enterprises.
The media company owns nearly 100 newspapers across the country, and had been publishing Adams’ jokes about the corporate ladder for years.
One of his most recent controversial comic strips included a black worker – named Dave – who identifies as white being asked to also identify as gay to boost his company’s environmental, social, and governance ratings.
He replies: ‘Depends how hard you want me to sell it,’ before the boss responds: ‘Just wear better shirts.’
Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, has called out the 77 newspapers after he was suddenly dropped
One of the most recent comics touched upon anti-woke ESG enterprises in corporate workspaces
Another, posted on Monday, showed the same character in charge of a firm wondering how he can open a new factory without contributing negatively to the environment.
As a solution to stop him being bashed by ‘woke’ commentators, the boss concludes that he’ll add a non-binary worker to his board to increase diversity.
Adams’ hilarious strips feature in newspapers across 57 countries, and in 19 languages – and there are over 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print.
The character Dave, named after the creator’s brother, is a prankster who messes with his boss, Adams said.
He told Fox News that some newspapers voiced concerns after receiving complaints about his comic content.
But he could not say for sure if that had anything to do with the removal of ‘Dilbert’ – but it has had a significant financial impact on him.
Adams said: ‘It was part of a larger overhaul, I believe, of comics, but why they decided what was in and what was out, that’s not known to anybody except them, I guess
Responding to claims that Lee Enterprises were just making changes to their syndication, the cartoonist added: ‘Do you think they flipped coins to decide what to keep and what to delete? It wasn’t about popularity or cost. (That I know.)
‘But it could have been a normal business decision of another type that is a huge coincidence. All possible.’
Lee Enterprises has been contacted for comment.
Adams’ hilarious strips feature in newspapers across 57 countries, and in 19 languages – and there are over 20 million Dilbert books and calendars in print.